Over the Edge
by sknkodiak
Summary: A night of celebration turns into horror and tragedy for the McFadden family.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: No, Hannah has not developed retrograde amnesia or early onset Alzheimers G This story takes place during the only season, sometime just after Christmas, and long before the aired episode Winner.**

**Over The Edge**

**-1- **

For the first time in ten years, the Bret Harte Union high school basketball team was on the way to a state championship title.

The Bullfrog's last step before qualifying for the state tournament was to win a game against arch-rival Fred C. Beyer High School from Modesto. In a weird coincidence, ten years before the Bullfrogs had faced the Patriots in the state finals. Adam McFadden had made the game-winning shot as the buzzer sounded, giving the Bullfrogs their first, and so far only, state championship. That had also started a decade long rivalry between the two schools that was in high flame tonight, as Adam's younger brother Evan McFadden and the rest of the BHUH team took to the boards against the Pats.

The gym was packed to the rafters with the excited crowd. It might be a home game for the Bullfrogs, but Beyer had bussed a good sized bunch of their own fans which fully packed the south side of the gym. Signs proclaiming "Gig the 'Frogs!" and "Stomp the Patriots!" were hoisted high in clenched hands. Beyer's red, white and blue colors packed the south bleachers while the royal purple and gold of the Bullfrogs surrounded the gym on three sides.

The whole McFadden family – with the exception of Daniel, who was playing a gig with his band in Sonora – had made the trek to Angels Camp for the game. A couple of reporters and a camera crew from the local CBS affiliate had been looking for someone from the 1972 team to interview. Although there had been thirteen boys on that team, history only really remembered three of them, and of those three only Adam was at tonight's game. The high school principal himself had led the newsmen over to where the McFadden clan was seated, presenting Adam like he was a belated Christmas gift for their perusal. Adam reluctantly went along with it, climbing out of the bleachers and stepping outside the gym where there was a possibility of the reporters actually hearing him.

The youngest McFadden, Guthrie, who couldn't possibly remember the 1972 game as he had been only two at the time, was nonetheless an expert on the subject. He had practically memorized Adam's old yearbook and the stories that went along with it. Now he elbowed his brother Brian. "Why don't they interview you?" he asked. "You were on that team too."

Brian laughed. "I was on the bench most of the game, squirt, and you know it." He shot a grin at Adam's wife, Hannah. "It's a good thing Hoops didn't make it today or Adam would have been left behind in his dust."

Guthrie ruffled up like an angry chicken. "No he wouldn't've! Adam made the winning basket!"

Hannah, who was new to the family and didn't know the entire story, looked at Brian. "Why were you on the bench? And why isn't this _Hoops_ here tonight?"

Brian grinned. "He plays pro ball now. For the…what team is it, Guth?" he asked teasingly.

"The Philadelphia Seventy Sixers!"

"Oh, yeah I remember now." Brian ruffled his youngest brother's hair. "And I was on the bench because I was only a sophomore," he explained. "Now they have a JV team, but back then there was just the one team. And I played the same position as Hoops. So I only played when Hoops needed a break. And that night, Hoops wasn't taking too many breaks!"

"What about the next year?" Hannah wanted to know.

The smile vanished from Brian's face. "I didn't play the next year." He glanced at his brothers, shrugged. "Things were different, then. I stopped playing sports so much. I was kind of needed at home."

A look of understanding crossed Hannah's face. "Oh," she murmured. "I'm sorry."

Brian shook his head. "Nothing for you to be sorry about," he reassured her.

"If Brian had been on the team the next year they probably would have gone to State again," Guthrie avowed loyally.

Crane, who was sitting one row above them, snorted. "Sure. If Brian could have kept his eyes off the cheerleaders long enough to actually play ball!"

Brian reached back and mock-punched Crane. "I didn't have to watch the cheerleaders. They were busy watching me!"

Adam hurried back into the gym and climbed up to sit next to his wife. "What a bunch of lousy questions," he groused. "They asked me if Evan is as good now as I was then. I mean, really, what do they expect me to say?"

"That he's shorter now than you were then?" Ford quipped, grinning.

Evan McFadden might not be as tall as some of his brothers, or some of the other players, but he was wickedly fast and pretty powerful. He was also deadly accurate. His ability to make baskets from all over the half court was a big reason the Bullfrogs had had such a winning season.

Another reason was forward Ty McClain. A junior like Evan, his family had recently moved to the area and his almost six-six height and long reach quickly made him a team favorite.

"Did you ever play, Crane?" Hannah questioned.

Crane shook his head. "I was a klutz," he said, looking embarrassed. "Especially in high school. I was lucky if I could walk down the hallway without knocking something or someone over."

"You just grew too fast," Brian said. "You couldn't keep track of where your feet were in relationship to the rest of you." He turned to Hannah. "Evan is the first one since Adam and me to make the team. Daniel never liked basketball that much."

That surprised Hannah because Daniel was pretty athletic. He played football and soccer and even volleyball, she knew. "I would have thought he would have been good at it," she said. "He seems to have springs in his feet. He's always jumping over the fence rather than opening the gate!"

Crane and Brian both smiled. "Oh, he's good at it," Crane said. "He just doesn't like it that much. He'd rather play music than sports, these days, anyway."

"This might be the last year Evan plays," Guthrie said.

"Why do you say that?" Adam asked, a frown crossing his face. "He's still got another year."

"He says it's interfering with his rodeo classes," Ford stated. "I think Cooper Johnson said something to him about it. And if it comes down to choosing one over the other, Evan will go with rodeo."

Adam and Brian both frowned. "I'd hate to see him stop playing for that," Adam commented. "What about football?" Evan was on that team as well.

Ford shrugged. "Don't know."

"We can talk to him later. This weekend, maybe," Brian told Adam, who nodded.

"Yeah, we should. I hate to see him stop playing, he's really good."

Just then, the Bullfrog mascot, followed by the cheerleaders, ran onto the floor leading the team, and the game got started.

It was a close game, the lead see-sawing back and forth between the 'Frogs and the Patriots, until BHUH made a run in the last minutes of the game. Three times, Ty McClain passed to Evan McFadden, who shot the ball for a basket. The other team tried manfully to catch up, to stop the run, to no avail. When the final buzzer sounded, BHUH won by seven points.

The packed gymnasium went crazy. The yelling was so loud it almost rattled the roof. The desolated Patriots lined up to shake hands with their victorious rivals as the two coaches met in the middle of the floor. The BHUH cheerleaders started a cheer which was quickly taken up by the crowd. "State! _State!_ STATE!"

In the bleachers, Adam closed his eyes briefly and thought back ten years to when he'd heard that same cheer. How different his life had been then. His parents had both been alive. He remembered how his dad had beamed and his mother cried as they watched their son being swarmed by his classmates.

Back then, it had seemed like anything, everything was possible for him. He'd graduated valedictorian of his class just a few months after that championship game. He'd been offered several scholarships, but he'd taken the one that was based on his brains, not on his football or basketball ability. He hadn't wanted anything to get in the way of becoming a doctor.

Something had, of course. Life. And death.

He opened his eyes and glanced around at his family, smiling a little. So his life hadn't turned out the way he'd planned. He looked at his beautiful wife, cheering her heart out. He'd probably never have met her if he'd gone off to San Diego to college. He'd never have really known his younger brothers, especially Evan, Ford and Guthrie, if he'd left home at eighteen.

His mom had always said: _When God closes a door He opens a window._

Ford was making his way down the bleachers. Adam looked back at Brian and raised his eyebrows. Knowing what he wanted, Brian leaned close so that Adam could hear him. "He's going to call Cleo. He promised he'd call her as soon as the game was over."

Adam nodded. He still couldn't believe it. Ford – the shyest of his brothers – actually had a _girlfriend_. And that girlfriend was Cleo Wheeler, the daughter of the man who seemed determined to run the McFaddens off their land. Although, come to think of it, they hadn't heard much out of him since the Circle Bar Seven had won Wheeler's prize bull at the county fair. "Why wasn't Cleo here tonight?" he asked.

"Think she has a cold, or something," Brian answered.

Adam glanced back down at the floor, catching sight of Evan watching him. Smiling proudly, he gave his younger brother a thumbs up. Evan's face lit up and he waved back before heading into the locker rooms.

**7Bf7B**

The McFaddens were standing near the exit to the parking lot when Evan joined them, closely followed by his teammate Ty. "Hey, Ford," the blond-haired McClain greeted the equally-blond haired Ford McFadden. "You're going with Ev and me to celebrate, right?"

"Where exactly are you going?" Adam asked curiously.

Up until recently, the go to hangout for students at BHUH was Cap's, less than half a mile away from the school, and, like the school, on the Murphys side of Angels Camp. For many years, since before Adam had been in high school, Cap's had been there, first as a burger joint, then growing through the years, adding a pizza parlor and a dance floor as well. Cap Cunningham had passed it down to his daughter, Riley, when he'd retired and gone off to Florida three or four years before.

For a while, Riley kept the place exactly as her dad had had it. Then she added an arcade stocked with the video games like Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, and Space Invaders, that were starting to be so popular. A year before, Riley had taken a trip to a convention in Anaheim, and returned with more ideas to expand the business and with a husband, Kent.

Rumor had it that Kent, used to a much more exciting life in southern California, wasn't too delighted with the ways things were in Carbon County. More than a few times patrons heard the newlyweds screaming at each other in the office or the kitchen. Riley, who was a few years older than Adam, seemed to be torn between her promise to her father, her business, and her husband.

Two months ago, Cap's had burned to the ground in the middle of the night. Adam wasn't the only one around who thought that was just a bit too convenient for Kent. But the sheriff and arson investigators couldn't prove anything, and Riley, faced with the nightmare of rebuilding and the risk of losing her husband, took the insurance payout and moved with Kent back to his home.

Since then there didn't seem to be any one place that could replace what Cap's had been to the high schoolers. There was a pizza parlor in Angels Camp but it wasn't that big and catered more to the family crowd. A lot of businesses, afraid of damages, discouraged large groups of teenagers from hanging around.

"Everyone's going to the Blue Boy," Ford answered.

"Cool!" Guthrie exclaimed. "That place is the greatest."

"In Sonora?" Brian asked.

"Yeah," Evan said.

"That's a drive," Crane pointed out.

Evan shrugged. He was looking at Guthrie thoughtfully. "You want to come along?" he asked the youngest McFadden suddenly.

Guthrie's eyes lit up. "Can I?"

Evan looked over at Ty, eyebrow raised.

"Hey, more the merrier," the other boy said cheerfully.

"Um… wait a minute," Adam stammered.

His three youngest brothers all turned to look at him. Guthrie pleadingly, Evan almost challenging, and Ford… okay, Ford looked almost as pleading as Guthrie did. Adam raised his hands helplessly. "I mean… he's twelve."

Evan, Ford and Guthrie looked at him with _"Well, duh,"_ written all over their faces. Brian stifled a laugh behind him. "Come on, _dad," _he teased. "Let the kid have some fun."

"Don't you trust us with him?" Evan asked, meeting Adam's eyes.

"Oh, of course I do. That's not even in question. It's just –"

"Just what?" Ford asked reasonably.

Adam sighed. He'd break Guthrie's heart if he said _no. _And probably insult Evan _and _Ford, not to mention this new kid. He glanced over at his wife, who nodded.

"Okay," he surrendered.

"Thanks, Adam," Guthrie shouted, hugging him around the waist.

"Just…don't lose him," he said, trying to make his voice sound teasing. "Do you need some money?"

Evan was already leading Guthrie away. "Nope, we've got it covered!" he said cheerfully. "Come on, Guthrie, we'll show you the night life in Sonora," he teased, looking back at Adam and winking.

"Thanks," Ford said quietly. "You know we'll take care of him, right?"

Adam smiled. "Yes, I know that. Go on. Have fun!"

Ford grinned and hurried after his brothers.

Adam stared after his youngest brothers and suddenly felt lost.

Brian squeezed his shoulder. "The babies are growing up," he said quietly. "Even Guthrie."

"Not sure I'm ready for that," Adam admitted. His mind flashed back to those first nights after his parents had died, when, even though exhausted, he'd lain awake thinking about his brothers, about how he'd care for them. He remembered thinking, _I'll be old and alone by the time they're all grown._

He had to smile. To his eighteen year old self, thirty four seemed so old.

So here he was at twenty-seven, with a gorgeous wife whom he adored, feeling bad because his twelve year old brother didn't need him every minute anymore? He should be celebrating an evening alone with Hannah.

Well, not _alone_ exactly. He glanced over at Brian and Crane. Brian was trying to put a brave face on it but he seemed a little lost too. And Crane had his arms folded as if he were cold.

"I think it's sweet," Hannah said. "When you were there age, did you want your little brother tagging along?"

All three men looked at her. It was Brian that finally answered, his voice very gentle. "When we were their ages, we _always _had little brothers tagging along."

Hannah looked puzzled, then she flushed. "I'm sorry," she said quietly.

Brian shook his head. "It's okay. It was just the way things were."

Brian had really worried a lot when Adam brought Hannah home as his wife. He'd even said, "_What do you need me for anymore?"_ Adam was glad his brother was becoming more comfortable with her now.

Hannah took his hand and they started walking toward the truck, Brian and Crane close behind. "When's their curfew, anyway?" she asked.

"Well, they don't actually have one," Adam said awkwardly.

Hannah stopped. "They don't?"

"Not on weekends," Crane said. He shrugged. "It… we just never seemed to need to set one. I mean, Adam and Brian had one, when they were teenagers. But after Mama and Dad died, it just…"

The January night was frosty cold and Adam's breath made little puffs of steam as he spoke. "It wasn't like I was going to give myself a curfew. And Brian… well he was helping me raise the kids."

"And Crane never went anywhere but to the library to study. And it closed at nine," Brian teased.

Crane aimed to pop his brother on the head. Brian dodged and then said, more soberly, "We did talk about it when Daniel and Evan started going out at nights but…I guess it was kind of, it ain't broke, so let's not try to fix it."

Adam opened the truck door. "Still don't know why they volunteered to take Guthrie, though. I wonder if he asked them earlier."

Crane shook his head as he slid into the truck. "I doubt it. I have a feeling—" he stopped.

"Well?" Brian asked impatiently. "Come on, Crane, share with the class."

"Have you noticed – since everything that happened with Guthrie and the poachers, when he was out panning for gold – it seems like Ford and Evan are watching out more for him? I know they feel really bad about what happened. Like it was their fault."

Adam sighed. "I think we're _all_ keeping a closer eye on him now. And I'll never understand why one of them didn't tell me what he was up to."

"It wasn't just them," Brian said reluctantly. "I knew he was panning for gold and I never told him to stop, or to stay close to the house. I just thought he would."

"I knew, too," Crane admitted. "I even _asked _him where he was panning and he sort of prevaricated about giving me an answer."

"He _prevaricated, _huh?" Brian snorted. "Geez Crane, that should have tipped you off right there! What the hell does prevaricated mean?"

Crane lifted his hands and brought them down again. "He was evasive, okay, Brian? The point is, I didn't do anything about it! I should have followed him, or something."

"Why didn't you?"

"Because I… well…"

"Because you never thought he could be in danger, that's why," Brian said. "Neither did I. And neither did Ford or Evan. You yelled at them, Adam, but Hannah was right. We all just assumed Guthrie was fine, that someone else was watching out for him."

"Well, it's water under the bridge now," Adam said. "And I guess we all learned a lesson." He started the truck and steered it out into the road toward Murphys.

"I heard someone say Ty was new to the school this year," Hannah said.

"Yeah. His folks moved here…just about the time school started, I guess. They're from Phoenix, I think. Someplace in the desert. We met his mother, remember? At that school board meeting."

Hannah shook her head. "There were so many people there. And I didn't know many of them. I don't remember her. Do they go to our church?"

"Never saw them there. Ty's father is some kind of engineer, I think," Crane said. "They bought the old Rice place. I was thinking we should see if we could lease some of the grazing land. They're not using it, they have a couple of horses, I think, but no cattle."

"Oh, I know who they are now," Brian said. "They're redoing that whole house. Adding a second story and expanding out the back."

Adam frowned. "The Rice place needed a lot of work but I'm kind of surprised they're enlarging it that much. I got the idea that Ty is the only kid at home."

"More money than sense, maybe," Brian said, laughing. "Going to turn it into a showplace."

"Were they there tonight?" Hannah asked.

"I wouldn't know him, but I didn't see her," Adam answered.

"That's sad," Hannah said, a little catch in her voice.

**7Bf7B**

Later that night, as they were in their room getting ready for bed, Adam brought up what she'd said earlier. "You seemed kind of upset that Ty's parents weren't there tonight."

Hannah was standing in front of the bureau. She didn't turn around, but he saw her back stiffen. "I just think it's important that parents are there for their kids. You and Brian and Crane… at least one of you is always there for their activities."

"Not always," Adam said. "We try, but with the ranch to run and all of them being so active in things—"

"But his parents only have the one son at home now."

Adam studied his wife. She still hadn't turned around, but he could see her hand – the one wearing his ring – tightly gripping the smooth wood of the furniture. Rising, he went to her and put his hands on her shoulders. "Talk to me, girl," he entreated.

He felt her shoulders relax under his grip. She turned around and leaned against him, her arms going around his waist.

"I've told you my dad had a small ranch south of here. That's where we lived until I was thirteen. My mom was from around here, too, originally. From what I gather, neither one of them really liked ranch life when they were young. My mom especially. She couldn't wait to get away."

She sighed, then went on.

"They met when they were in college in Colorado. They used to laugh that they had to go all the way to another state when they'd grown up probably fifty miles from each other. They met at a mixer and fell hard for each other."

Adam smiled. "Kind of like us?"

She looked up into his eyes. "No, I think it was different. They really didn't know each other. They hadn't talked about things that were important to them."

"Did your dad not mention he had six brothers at home he was raising?" Adam asked drily.

She laughed a little. "Okay so maybe they were like us. Anyway they got married and right away my mom got pregnant with me. She never came right out and said it, but I know I was a mistake. They hadn't planned on having children so soon."

She took a deep breath. "Neither one of them was done with school. I guess my dad got worried about how they'd make ends meet if they were both still going with a baby on the way. Right about the time I was born my grandfather died – my dad's father – and his mother was all alone trying to run the ranch. My dad decided that we'd move back there and he'd run the ranch and I could grow up the way he and my mom did.

"My mom didn't want to go. She wanted to finish college, or have him finish and she'd finish later. What she really didn't want to do was go back to ranch life. But she went along with it, I guess because she loved him." She paused. "But I think she always resented him, and maybe me, because of it."

"Hannah—"

"No, let me finish. Anyway, after he died, she couldn't wait to get away from here. She took the first offer she got for the ranch – which wasn't very much – and she moved us to Denver. I don't know why there, really. I think it was just that she was happiest when she was in college and she wanted to recapture that," she added thoughtfully.

"She didn't have a degree or really any training in anything. But she had a friend from school who had gone on to law school and was a partner in a big firm. She got my mom a job there. She was a file clerk at first, then she started taking night classes and got promoted to secretary. Eventually the firm paid for her to become a para-legal. She worked really long hours. She dated a lot too. She was always too busy or too tired to come to my games or things at school. She'd say, _Sorry honey, maybe next time, _and then she'd give me twenty dollars and tell me to take my friends out for pizza after."

Adam hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry that happened, girl. I'm sorry she wasn't there for you."

Hannah blinked tears from her eyes. "The thing is, I bet if you could ask her, she'd tell you she _was_ there for me. She always made sure I had nice clothes and if I was having trouble in a class she'd hire a tutor to help. When I wanted to keep up with my horseback riding she paid for lessons. She always told me to just tell her and she'd make sure I got whatever I wanted. The thing is, the one thing I wanted most was her time. And she never had any for me."

Adam didn't know what to say. He'd known, from things she'd mentioned, that she hadn't been close to her mother and that her father had died when she was young. He ached to comfort her, but he couldn't find the right words.

Maybe he didn't need to say anything.

Maybe he could just hold her.

_to be continued..._


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Sorry for the delay in posting. Many thanks to May for the beta and to everyone who takes the time to review and encourage! Typical disclaimers apply. (You know. I don't own, someone else does, I'm not making a profit, blah blah blah) No insults intended to cheerleaders, the University of Texas (even though it does take a special person to wear felon orange), Southern Methodist University, Baylor University, and especially Texas A&M University or my favorite of college mascots, Miss Rev!)_

**Over the Edge**

**-2-**

Evan knew that Ty drove one of the new Jeeps, so he was surprised when he followed the other player to a sleek, classic 1965 Mustang. "Wow," breathed Guthrie. "Is this yours?"

Ty laughed, ruffling Guthrie's hair as if he were one of his brothers. "It's my Mom's baby," he said easily. "I borrowed it for tonight." He unlocked the doors of the red convertible and then opened the trunk, pulling out a couple of warm red plaid blankets. "They match the car," he pointed out, handing one to Ford. "You might want to bundle up with the short stuff here," he urged, directing Guthrie into the back seat.

Once they were all in the car, Ty buckled himself in and then looked expectantly at Evan. In the back seat, Ford looked around for a seat belt and couldn't find one.

"Usually just Mom in here, she only had seat belts put in the front," Ty said. "So you two, just hang on tight if we crash into something!" He laughed, although he was the only one. He looked around, confused.

"Our parents died in a car wreck," Evan explained finally. He didn't want to embarrass his friend, but that kind of comment hit a knee-jerk response with the McFaddens.

"Oh, God, I am so sorry!" Ty said, face spelling out his humiliation.

"You didn't know," Ford said, wrapping Guthrie up in the blanket.

Evan swallowed hard. "It's okay," he agreed. "Like Ford said, you didn't know."

A kind of awkward silence descended on them. Evan was sorry he'd said anything. It was so rare to run into someone who _didn't _know their family history.

Without saying anything else, Ty turned the key in the ignition and the powerful Windsor V-8 engine roared into life. Ty turned to Evan, grinning. "Listen to her purr!"

Evan laughed. He couldn't stay annoyed with Ty. His teammate had a perpetually sunny personality. Evan had noted that neither of Ty's parents ever seemed to show up for the basketball games. He'd asked Ty about it, once, treading carefully. But Ty didn't seem upset about it. _"My dad's away working during the week. And Mom just doesn't do sports. It's okay. They're always there when I need them to be."_

It confused Evan because it was so different than the way _his _family functioned. _He _always had at least one family member show up for games, or rodeo, or whatever. Usually more than one. He knew Adam sometimes felt torn between all of his brothers, but Evan had never felt slighted.

It bothered him a little that Ty didn't have that kind of support, but on the other hand, if Ty didn't seem to care, why should Evan?

"Next stop, the Blue Boy!" Ty exclaimed, laughing.

That broke up the tension and they relaxed for the drive into Sonora. It was a chilly night, but clear, the rain of the last few days having left the area that afternoon. Evan leaned back into the leather seat and fixed his eyes on the stars above. Diamond bright on a field of black velvet.

He remembered his mother. _Stars are pinpricks in the floor of Heaven._

She used to say that. He remembered one night, just the two of them, Evan and his mom. He had no idea why they were alone, or where his brothers were, but that night he and his mom had wrapped quilts around themselves and nestled together on the porch swing. It was a night like this one, cold but so clear. Seemed you never got those crystal clear nights when it was warm, only when it was cold. She'd said that then, "_Look up, Evan. Count the stars. I think stars are just pinpricks in the floor of Heaven. Can you imagine what Heaven is like?"_

After she'd died, after they died, he couldn't look at the stars for a long time. Months, years? But one night he and Adam were out on the porch and he found himself repeating that line to Adam.

"_Mama said stars were pinpricks in the floor of Heaven. Adam, are Mama and Dad in Heaven now?"_

"_I know they are," Adam said. He went on, "Did you know what Dad thought stars were?"_

_Evan shook his head. _

"_He thought stars were the souls of someone who was in Heaven, looking down on the ones they left behind. Guarding them, almost." Adam pulled him close and pointed to one star. "See that bright star there? Look really close. Do you see the other star that's next to it? It almost looks like one big star but if you look really close, you can see it's two. I think that's Dad and Mama, looking down on us. Watching over us."_

Seventeen now, Evan looked back on that night and wondered if that was really what his father had thought, or if that was just something Adam came up with to tell him. He'd come to realize it didn't make any difference. He knew Adam believed it. He'd seen him go out to the porch night after night and look for those two stars. Especially when things weren't going so well. When Daniel was fighting everyone and everything. When Ford got so sick he had to go into the hospital. The night after they'd saved Guthrie from the poachers. When Brian tore up his knee one too many times and Dr. Meade said he would have to stay off it for weeks. Nights like that, and other nights too. Evan wasn't sure whether Adam was praying for help or just needing reassurance that his parents were still there.

Adam had been just a year older than Evan was now when he suddenly became responsible for the whole family. Brian – who'd stepped in as a kind of weird mother figure – had been sixteen, Ford's age. Evan didn't know how either one of them had done it. He glanced into the back seat. Ford was cuddled up with Guthrie, talking to him, but the roar of the Mustang's powerful engine and the rush of the wind kept Evan from hearing what they were talking about.

Ty had chosen to take what people called "the back way" into Sonora. It was closer, mile wise, and far more scenic, but the narrow two lane road twisted back and forth along cliffs steeply dropping hundreds of feet. It could be tricky for someone who didn't know it well, but Ty seemed to manage it easily, slowing on the curves and never appearing nervous. Before long they had merged down onto the highway going into Sonora proper. Another couple of minutes and they were driving into the crowded parking lot of the old factory building that had been turned into the Blue Boy.

Thirty years before the three story tall building had housed the Blue Boy Paint Company, one of the largest employers of the region. It still was, but now the paint was actually manufactured in several smaller factories all over the state, while the executive offices of the management and administration were housed in a shining steel and glass edifice near downtown. The original warehouse building had changed hands several times, finally ending up in the hands of Alonzo Perez who developed the entire building into a family-friendly attraction that included three restaurants, a small movie theatre, and a large arcade. A huge section of the old building housed "The Cave", developed specifically for teenagers. A variety of eating kiosks were scattered on the main floor of the huge room, which with lighting and slanting floors and a manmade waterfall that cascaded down the walls into a burbling stream that divided the room in two, really did feel somewhat like a cave.

The cover charge was ten bucks a person. Kind of steep, but that paid for unlimited food and sodas, and a handful of tokens to use in the arcade. Evan and Ford each paid for themselves and split Guthrie's admission between them. Evan grinned. He'd been hiring himself out to a neighbor to exercise the man's horses. Ford had been tutoring some other kids at school, including a couple members of the basketball team who wouldn't have been allowed to play without improvement in their grades. It was nice to have money of his own in his pocket, and to be able to give Guthrie this treat. He knew Adam would have paid Guthrie's way, but the fact remained that money was still none too plentiful in the McFadden household, even with their contract with the Cattlemen's Association to provide semen from their bull for artificial insemination.

Guthrie's eyes were huge as he looked around the cavernous space. Evan had been here a couple of times, usually after games, and Ford had come along once or twice, but this was Guthrie's first visit. His little brother looked thrilled to death.

Ty grinned at Evan as they watched Ford gently guide Guthrie toward the food kiosks. "He's a good kid," Ty said. "Glad you brought him along – well, hello!"

The greeting was not intended for Evan, but for the girl who had just appeared before them, still wearing her cheerleading outfit. "Hi, Ty!" Betsy Davies greeted the blond breathily, her eyes shining. "I'm so glad you made it!" She glanced over at Evan dismissively. "Hi, Evan."

"Good to see you, Betsy," Evan responded, even though he knew she wasn't listening.

She tucked her hands around one of Ty's arms. "You've got to sit with me," she told him, gazing at his face with an adoring smile. "I've got the greatest little table up behind the waterfall –"

Ty turned to look at Evan, who waved him away. Ty honestly seemed to be into Betsy, which was kind of weird, since he was smart and she was an absolute airhead. Evan had to grin when he thought of English class, sophomore year. Betsy was in the class with him. Up until then, Evan had been somewhat interested in her. She'd only been in the area a few years, so there was something new and exciting about a girl he hadn't known since kindergarten. Plus there was no denying Betsy was a knockout. A gymnast as well as a cheerleader, she had the long bones and lean body that the sport demanded, but she wasn't too skinny.

Their English teacher had given them as assignment: to prepare and deliver a speech in front of the class. The topic was the kind of crap thing teachers loved and students universally hated: _How I Intend to Make My Mark upon the World._

Knowing instinctively that his desire to be the best bronco rider in North America would not go over well with Mrs. Hightower, Evan had expanded it some. After talking with his brothers, he came up with the idea that after he retired from rodeo, he would set up an animal sanctuary for abused or retired race horses and rodeo mounts. He actually liked that idea, it was something he could see himself doing.

Fortunately for him, Mrs. Hightower was an animal lover and she applauded his _"worthwhile and compassionate goals". _

Betsy followed Evan and she replaced him at the podium, pink index cards neatly arranged in her hands. After blasting one of her mega-kilowatt smiles at her listeners, she launched into her rendition of how she was going to leave her mark on the world…

…By being the best cheerleader in the world, ever. Forever.

For the next seven minutes, Evan, his teacher and the rest of the class, listened in stunned amazement as Betsy breathlessly recounted her life goal and the steps she would take to achieve it. First, in the next year, she'd become head cheerleader for the BHUHS Bullfrogs, in spite of the fact that she would only be a junior, and the head cheerleader spot traditionally went to a senior. (It actually went to senior Julie Jason. Betsy had been pissed!)

Then she would attend college at SMU – Southern Methodist University, in Texas – where again she would be head cheerleader the entire four years. She was careful to note that she had eliminated three other Texas schools: Baylor ("They're a Baptist school. They might not even have cheerleaders!"), The University of Texas ("I look horrible in orange!") and Texas A&M ("A bunch of farmers and military guys. Besides, their mascot is a dog!")

Her reason for concentrating on schools in Texas became obvious when she launched into her plans after college. She planned on becoming a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader. Her voice trembling with excitement, she talked about calendars and autograph sessions and confided in her stunned classmates that she had already had her uniform made so that she could wear it before bed and visualize her glorious future.

At that moment, Evan realized that she might be cute, and she might be a cheerleader, but she was also dim as a twenty watt bulb. He stopped even thinking about pursuing her. But a lot of other guys did. Funny thing, though, no one ever seemed to date her once or twice. Even Karl Bishop, the nose guard of the football team, whom everybody wondered if his IQ was even as high as his shoe size, only dated her once. He commented to somebody that she spent the evening smiling at herself in his car mirror.

Keeping him from admiring himself, it seemed.

But Ty had gone out with her three times and actually seemed to like her. For some reason.

No accounting for taste.

Evan dismissed both of them from his mind and turned his thoughts to having a fun evening and making sure his brothers did as well.

And they did. Evan was popular in his class and had a lot of friends, but when all was said and done, his best friends were his brothers and he enjoyed spending time with them. He and Ford were as different as two brothers could be, but they were still close. And the whole family adored Guthrie, their baby brother.

Evan had been feeling guilty about his part in letting Guthrie fall in with those poachers; he knew Ford had too. No, he hadn't told either one of them what he was doing, but the point was, they hadn't asked. Or mentioned to anyone older in the family that maybe, just _maybe_, baby brother needed a bit more supervision than he was getting.

By the time Evan heard the full story of exactly what had been going on, the danger was over and Guthrie was safe with them. Still, hearing about how close the youngest McFadden had come to being shot to death made Evan's heart race. And Ford had gone white as a sheet when he'd heard Guthrie say "He tried to shoot me."

So tonight Evan wanted to make it up to Guthrie. Evan visited with friends but stayed close to his brothers all evening. They played every game in the arcade, some of them three or four times. Guthrie turned out to be surprisingly good at Pac Man and other games requiring good eye-hand coordination. Evan acquitted himself at the shooting games, and Ford, of course, triumphed at the brain games.

They ate pizza and burgers and ice cream until all three of them were stuffed. Then they crammed into the small theatre to watch the movie. It was an old one; Evan had seen it before and so had Ford, but Guthrie hadn't, or at least didn't remember it, so he was entranced.

Between eleven o'clock and midnight, the crowd significantly diminished. Most of the kids lived on farms or ranches and their days started at sun up or even before. By midnight, Guthrie was fading. Leaving a tired Ford to watch over their brother, Evan went looking for their ride.

He hadn't seen Ty much that evening and really hadn't noticed where he'd been for hours. He asked a couple of friends who were gathering up their stuff and leaving, but they shook their heads. Finally he ran across Karl Bishop. The big guy was wearing a silly smile and his clothes reeked of pot. "Sure, I know where he is," he slurred, pointing up to the top level, behind the waterfall. "That there's the VIP room," he grinned.

Evan almost groaned. Bish didn't have many brain cells to spare and here he was blotting the few he had with marijuana. Evan had never known Ty to smoke, but then, he didn't know that he wouldn't either. He just hoped Ty wasn't wasted. They needed to get home soon before Adam hit the panic button.

He didn't know what Bish meant by "VIP room". Glancing over his shoulder to make sure Ford and Guthrie were still at the table where he'd left them, Evan raced up the stairs two at a time until he was at the top level. He went around, behind the fake rocks the _waterfall _emerged from, to find a small round area. There were about a half dozen people there, most of them people he recognized from school. Sure enough, Ty was there, still with Betsy. As Evan came around the corner, Ty lifted a joint to his lips and took a deep drag. He passed the joint to Betsy, who was practically puddled on the floor, and then popped the lid off a can of beer, draining half of it in one gulp.

_Great. Beer and pot both. _Evan sighed.

It wasn't that Evan had anything inherently against beer. Adam and Brian were pretty relaxed about it, allowing the brothers to drink an occasional beer after they turned fourteen. But it was strictly beer at home, not in public; Adam would have a fit if he found out any of his under-aged brothers were drinking somewhere else.

Pot was a little different. Adam was violently opposed to it, and Brian backed him up, even though Evan had a sneaking suspicion Brian had probably toked a joint or two in his day. He was damn sure Crane had tried it at Davis, too. Evan had taken a hit off a communal joint at a party once or twice. Basically, he didn't see the point to it. Pot really didn't give him a thrill and he was smart enough to realize the hell he'd bring down on his head if Adam even _thought _he was using. There were some black-white truths in Adam McFadden's world. Pot was illegal, therefore BAD, therefore his brothers would not imbibe. Evan loved his brother too much, and had a healthy respect for what he'd to do him, to mess things up with a recreational drug that wasn't that interesting, anyway.

But tonight he needed a ride home, for himself and his two younger brothers, and he really didn't want their chauffer wasted and driving the convoluted road back into Murphys.

Ty caught sight of him and grinned. "Evan! You come to join us?"

His eyes were bloodshot but his speech was clear enough. _Maybe he hasn't been up here too long…_

Betsy passed the joint to Ty, who took another long drag and then offered it to Evan. "No, thanks," Evan said firmly, trying to figure out if Ty was incapacitated. Maybe he should offer to drive.

"Evan won't smoke," Betsy drawled, her eyes weighted at half-mast. "He's a goody two shoes."

Ty raised an eyebrow. "That so, Evan?" His voice was challenging.

Evan wasn't going to get sucked into that kind of game. "It doesn't do anything for me," he pointed out, honestly. "Look, we need to be getting home. It's late. Are you okay to drive?"

Betsy sprawled on Ty's lap. "Ty baby s'not going anywhere yet. He hasn't even offered me a drink yet."

Ty laughed. "You're wasted, Bets. You don't need anything to drink."

He sounded okay and Evan was relieved. "I'm really sorry but we've got Guthrie with us and my older brothers will freak if I don't get him home soon." Adam wouldn't be delighted that Ford or Evan was out so late, either, but Ty didn't need to know that.

"It's okay," Ty said, standing. He dropped Betsy back into the chair. "I'm about ready to head out, anyway."

Evan hesitated. "What about Betsy?" he said. "We can't just leave her here." He didn't like the cheerleader, but he wasn't going to abandon her here alone, either.

Ty pulled the keys out of his pocket. "What? Oh, Betsy? Don't worry about it. Her brother is around here somewhere. He already said he'd get her home." He laughed. "She needs to sleep it off somewhere, anyway."

Betsy sighed and rested her head on the table. A faint snore came from her nose.

Ty started to walk away. He tripped over a chair and barely kept from falling. "Jeez, man!" Evan exclaimed. "Are you that wasted? You'd better let me drive."

"Evan, you're nuts. The chair was in my way, and it's dark in here. I just didn't see it. God! I've had two beers and maybe a half-dozen hits off a joint. I get more wasted than that on a Sunday afternoon with my dad."

Evan hesitated. It _was _dark up here behind the waterfall. Ty wasn't slurring his speech or anything. He said, again, "Maybe you'd better let me drive home."

Ty grinned at him. "You just want to drive my sweet Mustang. Hey, I'd let you, man. But I can't. Insurance only covers family members."

If it had just been him, Evan knew he would have let it go. Got in the car with Ty and not thought too much about it. But, it wasn't just him involved. His two younger brothers were there, too, and Evan was responsible for them.

On the other hand, what could he do? The place was emptying out fast and he didn't see anyone he knew who lived close to them. Okay, he could call home and ask one of his brothers to come get them, but… it was late and they were probably all asleep. Morning came awfully early on a working cattle ranch.

Adam had assumed he could take care of them, get them home. He'd let Evan bring Guthrie here because he trusted Evan to take care of him. He didn't want Adam to think that trust had been misplaced…

Besides, it would be all around school by Monday morning that he'd had to call for a ride home. Like a kid.

He followed Ty, noting carefully how he was moving easily, dodging around tables and scattered chairs. They were almost to where Ford and Guthrie were waiting and the lighting was better now, although still pretty dim. It was supposed to be a "cave" after all.

Ty seemed fine. He was okay. _He said he was, and he'd know if he wasn't, right?_

Evan looked ahead and saw his brothers. Guthrie was dozing, his head on the table, and Ford didn't look much more awake. They needed to get home. And the fastest way home was with Ty.

Nodding to himself, Evan quickened his pace and caught up with his friend. He'd made his decision. They'd ride home with Ty.

_To be continued…_


End file.
